How to Add and Optimize a Facebook Event Cover Image

By Jacob Curtis | Small Business

Facebook events are seeing more upgrades than ever before. With the added ability to upload a Facebook Event cover image, you can now make your events more appealing and eye catching. But before you start creating your banner image, you may want to optimize the graphic first so its thumbnail displays correctly across the platform.

Adding a Facebook Cover image is relatively easy, however, when it comes to optimizing your event image to display in ads or as a page post you can run into a few problems.

Creating an optimized photo does takes extra time that you may not want to spend, however as you’ll see in the examples below the results will look polished, more professional, and show your fans you care about their experience with your page.

Walkthrough:

1) Log into your Facebook page/business page.

2) Create a new Facebook event and filling in dates, times, and description. *Note: You can navigate to www.facebook.com/PAGENAME/events to easily access and create events.*

3) Once your event is created locate the “Add Event Photo” at the top right corner of your new event page.

4) Follow the examples below to create an optimized Facebook Event cover photo to display correctly across the platform.

Bad Example:

Take this image for example, here’s what the cover photo looks like when uploaded:

cover image facebook event

Example Facebook Event Cover Image

The following photos show the thumbnail for the event…not too pretty, right?

As page post:

How to Add and Optimize a Facebook Event Cover Image

Event shown as a Page Post

Displayed on Timeline:

How to Add and Optimize a Facebook Event Cover Image

How the event looks on the Timeline

Displayed as Facebook Ad:

How to Add and Optimize a Facebook Event Cover Image

Event thumbnail as a Facebook Ad

Displayed in Facebook Events Tab

How to Add and Optimize a Facebook Event Cover Image

How your event appears listed

Good Example:

I found this very helpful template from another social media blogger, Michael Curry, who provides an excellent example on his Facebook page:

How to Add and Optimize a Facebook Event Cover Image

Click on this image for the full-size Template

By including the text within the 176×264 center block, I can be sure the thumbnail for the event will not cut off any words. Here’s what the event looks like with a new optimized Facebook Event cover image.

How to Add and Optimize a Facebook Event Cover Image

Optimized Facebook Event Thumbnail

Take away

Facebook has focused more attention on events which is great news! But they failed to include the best practices regarding the right dimensions to have your event cover image thumbnail display properly across the platform.

When you take the time to optimize your Facebook Event cover photo, you not only make the event more visually appealing but it puts a much more professional polish to your page.